Display rack divider



Jan. 17, 1967 N ET AL 3,298,538

DISPLAY RACK DIVIDER Filed July 23, 1965 I NVENTOR 5 444.54 flf 44/2JY/FIIZOZA g lie Unit-6d States atent() 3,298,538 DISPLAY RACK DIVIDERDaniel M. Ganz, Rockville Centre, and Harold J. Mahler, New York, N.Y.,assignors to Darrol Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed July 23, 1965, Ser. No. 475,325

4 filaims. (Cl. 211-184) The present invention relates generally todisplay racks and in particular to an improved display rack divider foruse in sub-dividing the shelves of a display rack.

In the merchandising of stationery, such as greeting cards and othersmall fiat items, display racks are generally used which are formed withtiers of troughs arranged in step-wise relation. The troughs aregenerally defined by openings on either side and spaced-apart front andrear walls for receiving plural stacks of cards in side-by-siderelation. It is generally known to provide a means for separating thestacks of cards which are disposed along the width of each of thetroughs, such as by a spring loaded rack divider which is shown in theearlier patent filed on January 20, 1959 under No. 2,869,732. In thisearlier form of rack divider, it was necessary to provide a two-piecedivider body and clip construction with a spring-loaded hingeconnection. A more simplified and effective display rack divider hasbeen developed by utilizing a one-piece construction in which anelongated slot is disposed between the clip and divider body to obtainthe same type of force which is normall exerted by conventional springarrangements which have been used.

Broadly, it is object of the present invention to provide an improveddisplay rack divider for separating and preventing the interleaving ofarticles from adjacent stacks of flat cards in a display rack.Specifically, it is within the contemplation of the present invention toprovide a display rack divider of one-piece construction which-caneasily be fabricated and utilized.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating objects andfeatures of the present invention there is provided a rack divider foruse with a display rack in the form of an elongated trough which isdefined by opposed side walls, having front and rear faces, andspacedapart in substantially parallel relation to each other. Thetroughs are provided for receiving a series of side-by-side stacks whichare made up of fiat elements. An upright divider is formed fromthermoplastic material and includes an integral clip and divider body.The clip is formed of substantially U-shaped cross section with opposedbody walls for mounting on the side walls of the display rack, and thedivider body is resiliently mounted at an angle to the normal plane ofthe body walls of the clip. The

divider body extends in a plane transverse to the opposed walls of theclip and an elongated slot is disposed between the clip and the dividerbody such that a force is exerted between the clip and divider body tomaintain the divider body in a rigid position against one side wall whenthe clip is mounted on another opposite side wall of the trough.

The above brief description as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description of presently preferred,but nonetheless illustrative embodiments in accordance with the presentinvention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of 3,298,538Patented Jan. v17, .1967

ice

a rack divider, employing features of the present invention, shownmounted on one tier of a display rack of greeting cards, with portionsthereof being broken away and sectioned;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the rack divider of FIG. 1, asshown removed from its mounted position on the display rack, with aportion of the divider body broken-away;

FIG. 3 is a sectional View taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 2 andlooking in direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of two rack dividers in accordancewith the first embodiment of the invention and another rack divider inaccordance with a second embodiment of the invention, with the rackdividers being shown mounted on the side walls of the display rack; and

FIG. 5 is a left side elevational view of the second embodiment of therack divider of FIG. 4, and shown removedfrom its position on thedisplay rack, with a portion of the divider body broken-away.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 4,there is shown a display rack fixture D having tiers of elongatedtroughs T, in a stepwise arrangement. The troughs T include upstandingside walls 10 which extend perpendicularly from base walls 12. The sidewalls 10 are spaced-apart in substantially parallel relation and each ofthe Walls 10 has a front face 14 and rear face 16. In order to moreclearly demonstrate the instant invention, varying distances are shownin FIG. 4 between the upstanding walls 10 for each of the troughs T. Thedisplay rack fixture D is open at both ends and the upstanding walls 10are disposed in substantially parallel relation to each other forreceiving a series of sideby-side stacks S which are made up of flatelements such as greeting cards.

In accordance withv a first embodiment of the present invention, anupright divider 20 is provided for use with the display fixture D inorder to provide a means for separating the stacks S of fiat material.This is of particular importance in the merchandising of greeting cardssince each stack of greeting cards is of varying frontal width, whichmakes it necessary to vary the separating means in accordance with thewidth of the particular stack of greeting cards involved. The rackdivider 20 is integrally formed from a moldable and resilient materialsuch as thermoplastic, and includes a divider body 22 and clip 24 whichhas a substantially U-shaped cross section.

\The divider body 22 is relatively flat with a preferred thickness ofapproximately /8 of an inch. As best seen in? FIG. 2, the peripheralconfiguration of the divider body 22 isbounded by a straight edge 26,opposite curved edge28, andt-op edge 30.

An intermediate body 32 is provided for integrally joining the clip 24to the divider body 22. The intermediate body 32 is defined by an upperedge 34 which extends from the top edge 30 and a lower edge 36 whichextends from the rear edge 26. v

.The clip 24 includes a base wall 38 which is integrally formed With-theintermediate body 32, and base wall 38 is. in turn integrally formedwith a front wall 40, top wall 42 and rear wall 44. As seen in FIG. 4,the clip 24 is of substantially U-shaped cross section, and the walls 40and 44 oppose each other in substantially paral- 4, it can be seen thatbase wall 38 extends at an angle from the plane of front wall 40, withthis angle being designated A. Thus, when the clip 24 is fabricated, thebase wall 38 is formed so as to normally extend forward from the planeof front wall 49. Since the rack divider 20 is made of a resilientmaterial, such as thermoplastic, the formation of the integral base wall38 and front wall 40 in different planes, serves as a means ofresiliently mounting the divider body 22 at an angle to the normal planeof body walls 40 and 44, such that the divider body is biased into theoperative positions shown in FIG. 4. Accordingly, the divider body 22 ofrack divider 20 can be resiliently mounted on the top edges of the walls10, with the angle A decreasing as the width of the base Walls 12 oftroughs T decrease.

An elongated slot 46 is disposed between the clip 24 and divider body22, and slot 46 is bounded by top edge 30, upper edge 34 and the edge offront wall 40. Thus, the overall configuration of slot 46 is defined bythe upper rearward edge of divider 'body 22 and front wall 40. The depthof slot 46 or the distance from the opening at the top of slot 46 toupper edge 34, determines the tension exerted between the divider body22 and clip 24, when the clip is mounted on the Wall 10 of the displayrack D. It is important to be able to vary the tension exerted betweenthe divider body 22 and the clip 24 when the clip is mounted on one ofthe side walls 10 with the front edge 28 being biased against the rearface 16 of an other opposite side wall 10 of the trough T. If the depthof slot 46 is increased by increasing the distance between the openingat the top of the slot to upper edge 34, the tension exerted isdiminished. Thus, the tension exerted is proportioned to the depth ofthe slot 46, with the tension decreasing as the depth increases.

Referring next specifically to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, there isseen a second illustrative embodiment of the invention, various parts ofwhich are assigned reference numerals in the hundreds seriescorresponding to the reference numerals in the tens series assigned tocorresponding parts of the first illustrative embodiment. Thus, a rackdivider, designated generally by the numeral 120 is integrally formedfrom a moldable and resflient material and includes a divider body 122and clip 124. The peripheral configuration of the divider body 122 isbounded by a straight edge 126, curved edge 128 and top edge 130. Anintermediate body 132 is provided for integrally joining the clip 124 tothe divider body 122, with intermediate body 132 being defined by upperedge 134 which extends from the top edge 130 and the lower edge 136which extends from the curved edge 128.

The clip 124 includes a base wall 138 which is integrally formed withthe intermediate body 132, and base wall 138 is in turn integrallyformed with a front wall 140, top wall 142 and rear wall 144.

As in the first embodiment of the instant invention, the base wall 138extends at an angle from the plane of the front wall 140 with this anglebeing designated A. Thus, when the clip 124 is fabricated, the base wall138 is formed so as to normally extend forward from the plane of thefront wall 140.

An elongated slot 146 is disposed between the clip 124 and divider body122 and the slot 146 is bounded by top edge 130, upper edge 134 and theedge of front wall 140. Thus, the overall configuration of the slot 146is defined by the upper rearward edge of the divider body 122 and frontwall 140. The overall depth of the slot 146 or the distance from theopening at the top of slot 146 to the upper edge 134, determines thetension exerted between the divider body 122 and clip 124 when the clipis mounted on the wall of display rack D.

From the two embodiments of the instant invention, 20 and 120, shown inFIG. 4, it can be seen that the rack divider 120 is of the same generalconfiguration as the rack divider 20. By progressively inspecting FIGS.3 and 5, it is apparent that the divider body 120 is formed at the leftedge of base wall 138, whereas the divider 22 is formed at the rightedge of base wall 38. Further, divider body 122 extends in an upwarddirection from base wall 138 and divider body 22 extends in a downwarddirection from base wall 38. Thus, the rack divider 22 is designed formounting on the rearward wall of the display rack D with the edge 28being biased against the rear surface 16 of the opposite wall, and therack divider is designed for mounting on the frontal wall of the rackdivider D with the front edge 128 being biased against the front face 14of the opposite wall.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein.

What we claim is:

1. A rack divider for use with a display rack in the form of elongatedtroughs each having a bottom wall and opposed side walls with front andrear faces and said side walls being spaced-apart in substantiallyparallel relation from each other for receiving a series of side-bysidestacks which are made-up of flat elements, an upright divider formedfrom thermoplastic material and including a clip and divider body, saidclip being of substantially U-shaped cross-section and having opposedbody walls for mounting on said side walls of the display rack, saiddivider body being resiliently mounted at an angle 'to the normal planeof said body walls of said clip with said divider body extending in aplane transverse to said body walls, and said clip being integrallyformed on said divider body with an elongated slot disposed between saidclip and divider body such that said divider body is capable of beingbiased in an upright orientation against one side wall when said clip ismounted on another opposed spaced-apart side wall of a trough.

2. A rack divider according to claim 1 in which the configuration ofsaid slot is defined by the upper rearward edge of said divider body andthe front body wall of said clip such that the tension exerted betweensaid divider body and clip is proportionate to the depth of said slotwith said tension decreasing as said depth increases.

3. A rack divider for use with a display rack in the form of elongatedtroughs each having a bottom wall and opposed side walls with front andrear faces and said side walls being spaced-apart in substantiallyparallel relation from each other for receiving a series of side-bysidestacks which are made-up of flat elements, an upright divider formedfrom thermoplastic material and including a clip and divider body, saidclip being of substantially U-shaped cross-section and having opposedbody walls for mounting on a rear side Wall of a display rack, saiddivider body being resiliently mounted at the right side edge of saidbody walls and at an angle to the normal plane of said body wallstending downwardly from said body walls in a plane transverse thereto,and said clip being integrally formed on said divider body with anelongated slot disposed between said clip and divider body such thatsaid divider body is capable of .being biased in an upright orientationagainst with said divider body exthe rear face of one side wall whensaid clip is mounted on another opposed spaced-apart side wall of atrough.

4. A rack divider for use with a display rack in the form of elongatedtroughs each having a bottom Wall and opposed side walls with front andrear faces and said side walls being spaced-apart in substantiallyparallel re lation from each other for receiving a series ofside-by-side stacks which are made-up of flat elements, an uprightdivider formed from thermoplastic material and including a clip anddivider body, said clip being of substantially U-shaped cross-sectionand having opposed body walls for mounting on a front side wall of adisplay rack, said 5 5 6 divider body being resiliently mounted at theleft side References Cited by the Examiner edge of said body Walls andat an angle to the normal plane of said body walls with said dividerbody extend- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing upwardly from said body walls iiia plane transverse 2,236,330 3/1941 Canfield 2ll55 thereto, and saidclip being integrally formed on said 5 2 869 732 1/1959 Ganz dividerbody with an elongated slot disposed between said 3139186 6/1964 Georgeclip and divider body such that said divider body is capable of beingbiased in an upright orientation against the front face of one side Wallwhen said clip is mounted on *an- CAUDE LE P r mm-y Examme" otheropposed spaced-apart side wall of a trough. 10 W. D. LOULAN, AssistantExaminer.

1. A RACK DIVIDER FOR USE WITH A DISPLAY RACK IN THE FORM OF ELONGATEDTROUGHS EACH HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND OPPOSED SIDE WALLS WITH FRONT ANDREAR FACES AND SAID SIDE WALLS BEING SPACED-APART IN SUBSTANTIALLYPARALLEL RELATION FROM EACH OTHER FOR RECEIVING A SERIES OF SIDE-BYSIDESTACKS WHICH ARE MADE-UP OF FLAT ELEMENTS, AN UPRIGHT DIVIDER FORMEDFROM THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL AND INCLUDING A CLIP AND DIVIDER BODY, SAIDCLIP BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION AND HAVING OPPOSEDBODY WALLS FOR MOUNTING ON SAID SIDE WALLS OF THE DISPLAY RACK, SAIDDIVIDER BODY BEING RESILIENTLY MOUNTED AT AN ANGLE TO THE NORMAL PLANEOF SAID BODY WALLS OF SAID CLIP WITH SAID DIVIDER BODY EXTENDING IN APLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID BODY WALLS, AND SAID CLIP BEING INTEGRALLYFORMED ON SAID DIVIDER BODY WITH AN ELONGATED SLOT DISPOSED BETWEEN SAIDCLIP AND DIVIDER BODY SUCH THAT SAID DIVIDER BODY IS CAPABLE OF BEINGBIASED IN AN UPRIGHT ORIENTATION AGAINST ONE SIDE WALL WHEN SAID CLIP ISMOUNTED ON ANOTHER OPPOSED SPACED-APART SIDE WALL OF A TROUGH.